GramLow is turning out GPS guided steering and rubber tracks designed to fit under the centre section of corn planters. | File photo

Gramlow tacks rubber tracks and GPS onto planter

If the local dealer can’t supply GPS steerable OEM factory rubber tracks, aftermarket companies like Gramlow probably can

When plans for a rubber-tracked GPS-guided steerable corn planter bog down because the dealer can’t find the parts, help might be available from Gramlow Ltd. “Centre sections on planters are too heavy much of the time. The original tires aren’t up to carrying the full load,” says Richard Gramlow, co-owner of Gramlow in Fullerton, North […] Read more

Old friends killing old foes again

Old school herbicides Avadex and Edge are teaching new lessons to resistant wild oats

Two “old friends” might be enlisted in the chemical fight against herbicide resistant weeds. One of them is Avadex, said Mike Grenier of Gowan Canada, which acquired Avadex from Monsanto in 2004. Avadex, with the active ingredient of triallate, is a Group 8 herbicide that has been shown in trials to control wild oats that […] Read more

At 50 feet wide, the new Honey Bee Airflex, also available in smaller dimensions, is one of the largest headers on the market. | Honey Bee photo

Honey Bee goes big, cuts weight

Saskatchewan company builds a 50 foot wide combine header while keeping it lightweight

Getting some air is generally not something producers are looking for with their combines’ flex headers. Growers don’t want gaps with the ground when they are down low harvesting the last of the lentils, peas, chickpeas or soybeans. A new combine header from Honey Bee of Frontier, Sask., is causing some buzz with farmers. The […] Read more


This planter has Precision Planting options and trash clearance equipment installed, but dealers can put a variety of different aftermarket and other OEM pieces onto the units.  |  CaseIH photo

CaseIH focuses on customization

Precision Planting parts can be added to older Case machines

Farmers who plant soybeans and corn are frustrated when buying a planter that isn’t designed to accept the exact components they know work on their farm. CaseIH and Precision Planting looked at this situation and saw an opportunity, according to CaseIH crop production marketing manager Dan Klein. “We looked as far as possible into the […] Read more

Variable rate application is becoming standard equipment on some machines. This Seed Hawk’s metering system is built for the technology.  |  Michael Raine photo

Variable rate fertilization makes big farms more efficient

One reality of modern agriculture and the trend toward larger farms is that efficiency often trumps agronomy. This is especially true during seeding, when many managers, armed with data showing yield losses of more than one percent for every day that seeding is delayed, try to compress planting into fewer and fewer days. Farmers who […] Read more


The Red River Valley Canola Disc was built by Jeff Calder and Kerry Cadieux of Lettlier, Man.  |  RRV photo

Kit converts beet, corn planter to canola

Prairie-built disc kit helps canola growers manage seed spacing and singulation

Despite the recent flurry of interest in turning old corn planters into dedicated canola planters, most farmers are limited by cost and availability of the necessary parts. But the efforts of two farmers from Lettlier, Man., may soon change that. Their Red River Valley (RRV) Canola Disc is a relatively low-cost kit that converts old […] Read more

Take your canola straight

Early reports last fall suggested that straight cutting canola is a viable strategy for most growers. And with the right tools, the process can provide significant economic advantages. As the data continues to come in and be evaluated, it appears producers should consider putting canola swaths behind them in a new way. Last fall, Chris […] Read more

Spinach is one crop that can be produced in the dead of winter without supplemental heat and light.  |  Ten Hen Farms photo

High tunnels help growers harvest year-round

In the right greenhouse, some cold-hardy vegetables can be grown in winter without additional heating

ORILLIA, Ont. — High tunnels are not just about extending the growing season for market gardeners. In latitudes where the sunlight allows, some are now harvesting crops year round with no supplemental heat. Adam Montri operates Ten Hen Farms at a latitude of 42.8 degrees north in central Michigan with his family. He is also […] Read more


The pair of nine-foot-long steel rollers are built to precise tolerances, allowing them to be set at a gap of 0.4 inches from the barrel of one roller to the bar or lug of the other roller.  |  Tom McCrea photo

ReCon crushes stems to keep in moisture

Re-conditioners help forage growers 
get the most from their crops

FARGO, N.D. — Some hay farmers count the days between cutting and baling. Serious forage producers, such as dairy farmers, count the hours. A grower who bales 48 hours sooner stands to gain $67 per ton, or $17.50 per acre, on hay quality, says Dan Undersander of Wisconsin State University, a frequent speaker at Manitoba […] Read more

Prairie producers have few choices that will generate profit for the upcoming crop year. However, a lot of math and phone calls and a little polishing of the crystal ball can deliver a plan for cropping choices that might put some black back in the pen. | File photos

Risk management starts with crop choice

Prairie producers have few choices that will generate profit for the upcoming crop year. However, a lot of math and phone calls and a little polishing of the crystal ball can deliver a plan for cropping choices that might put some black back in the pen. Manitoba Agriculture released its profitability analysis for the year […] Read more